Sex Lives of Reindeer

On December 24, 2015December 25, 2016 By Catherine HausteinIn plants and animals, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I’m sure you were all sitting around wondering about reindeer sex today. Or maybe just I was. I realized that I knew nothing about real reindeer, not even that they are more correctly called caribou or that their eye color changes in the winter. The scientific name for reindeer is Rangifer tarnadus. They are found in the arctic tundra but once lived as far south as Germany and Maine. What happened? They were hunted into oblivion in these populated regions.

Caribou herds can contain “tens of thousands” of reindeer so they are never alone.They make a clicking sound when they walk when tendons rub against bones. Both male and female have antlers. As with other ruminant animals, reindeer have a rut where the males battle it out for the privilege of mating with a group of females. The rut occurs as daylight wanes, usually in October and calves come in May-July. During the rut, the males lose weight from all the fighting etc.and after the rut, their antlers fall off. It would seem that realistically, December would not be a great time for an exhausted male reindeer to pull Santa’s sleigh. So next time you think about Dancer and Cupid, keep in mind, they are probably girls and probably pregnant.

Almost Jimsonweed

On September 21, 2015September 22, 2015 By Catherine HausteinIn plant molecules, plants and animalsLeave a comment

I was excited and a little scared when I found this plant on my walk through the neighborhood. It looked a lot like Jimsonweed (locoweed), a plant discussed in Natural Attraction. My mind was racing with the possibilities–a poisoner lived here! As many know, Jimsonweed can be a killer with ingestion being either recreational or accidental. Jimsonweed seeds contain the toxic tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine. These chemicals are similar to cocaine and can also be found in hedge bindweed. Jimsonweed poisoning symptoms are said to render the victim “blind as a bat, mad as a hatter, red as a beet, hot as a hare, dry as a bone, the bowel and bladder lose their tone, and the heart runs alone.” Users can have hallucinations and trouble urinating (along with extreme thirst). Many deaths come from mistakes in judgement, lack of coordination, and recklessness following ingestion. Kidney failure can occur. The toxins can be absorbed through the skin, but poisoning is more likely if they are ingested.The high is said to be not fun at all.

The plant in the photograph is not Jimsonweed. Upon closer inspection, it’s a relative known as Moonflower. Some gardeners are enthusiastic about this plant, but it’s poisonous too. Like Jimson weed, it’s a Datura. Since I already had an incident with a dog and a poisonous plant, I’ll walk on by when it comes to this Datura. That’s what the plant is saying by even making such a poison.

Butterfly Release

On September 14, 2015September 15, 2015 By Catherine HausteinIn plants and animalsLeave a comment

I had six caterpillars on my milkweed and I put two in a jar with some milkweed and brought it in my breezeway. Both formed a chrysalis, one a few days before the other. After about ten days, one butterfly emerged.

The chrysalis turned dark and you can see the butterfly inside.

The first one came out of the chrysalis yesterday about 4:30 pm. The wing pattern showed that it was a girl!

On Sunday afternoon about 4:30 pm, she came out!

Wings need to dry in the sun, so I devised this to get her into a sunny and dry spot.

As shadows fell, she was still clumsy so I made her a room for the night.

I put her in her room in my breezeway and covered her with a laundry basket. In the morning, once the temperature was above 65 F, I brought her outside to greet the sun. Before I could snap a photo, she climbed to the phlox, took a sip, and soared away into the morning.

The second butterfly was a girl too. She came out at 9 am Wednesday and by noon was flying around the yard. This video shows her taking her first drink of nectar.

Models and Mimics: An Excerpt from Natural Attraction

On September 12, 2015September 12, 2015 By Catherine HausteinIn plants and animalsLeave a comment

Tajen by my son-in-law Zach. — Taken by my son-in-law Zach.

Excerpt from Natural Attraction

Genus Ithomiinae A group of butterflies found in neotropical regions and studied by Bates as he explained biological mimicry. These small butterflies have stark black markings with bright orange, yellow, and/or blue coloring. Toxic or unpalatable to birds. The Model.

Leptalis nehemia A neotropical butterfly in the Pieridae (cabbage butterfly) group, also studied by Bates. Although tasty, this little one resembles the Ithomiinae and thus avoids predation. The Mimic.

Complex North American examples of mimicry include the Monarch (Danaus plexippus, the Model) and the Viceroy (Limenitis archippus, the Mimic). This mimicry is complex because the Mimic is a bit bad tasting; not helpless, really.

At the next rehearsal of the sideshow, Madame made an announcement.

“We need a narrative. We will be working from a script in the future.” She put her hand to her forehead. She was holding a sheaf of paper. “Ah dear, me. Shakespeare had it easy. I’m overwhelmed with responsibility but even with my day-to-day pressures, I managed to create a masterpiece. It’s all an audience could want. Not too intellectual. Simple words. I incorporated the freaks and mining. It’s a melodrama with a sad ending and a fine cautionary moral. We’ll sell handkerchiefs to accompany it. I have it here. You must study it and perform it tomorrow evening.”

Black Nightshade & A Dog

On September 4, 2015September 6, 2015 By Catherine HausteinIn plant molecules, plants and animalsLeave a comment

Here’s a plant that you’ll not find in my yard–only in a book. Black nightshade contains atropine, a toxin. A while ago I had a collie that developed a medical condition. Her eyes rolled back in her head. She acted wobbly and goofy. Brain tumor, I thought. I took her to the vet who couldn’t diagnose it. He suggested a specialist far away. The thing was, the dog was happy, as if she was drunk. I didn’t want to do anything since she was happy and old. It didn’t seem worth the trip. One day I watched her wander around the yard, which is large and not always well kept. She ate some plants growing under the deck. Yup. They were black nightshade. Out they came and the dog recovered.

Feeding frenzy

On August 29, 2015August 29, 2015 By Catherine HausteinIn plants and animalsLeave a comment

These will not be pretty pictures. It’s hard to say what’s eating the milkweed faster, monarch caterpillars or aphids. For a poisonous plant, the milkweed sure provides a tasty treat!

A monarch caterpillar is unconcerned about aphid damage on the milkweed.

There are lots of things to try to get rid of aphids. I prefer squashing and cutting off the infested tops and dunking them in water before discarding. Aphids drown fairly easily. You can also dab them with isopropyl alcohol. Just don’t harm the monarch eggs or caterpillars.

I also use the relocation method. Move the tiny babies (some use a paintbrush) to another leaf and cut the infected plant’s top off.

Relocated and rushing to the underside of the leaf

One thing I’ve noticed, the monarchs and aphids prefer the same leaves!They must be the tastiest.

In less than a month the caterpillars will be butterflies and on their way.Until then, hold on milkweed!

Milkweeds and butterflies

On June 23, 2015June 24, 2015 By Catherine HausteinIn plant molecules, plants and animalsLeave a comment

Milkweed loss in the US has affected monarch populations so I tried to grow some from free seeds. It wasn’t that easy. I managed to get one scraggly plant. But that was all it took. Three years later, I have a patch. Yes, it attracts monarchs and all sorts of butterflies. The flowers smell luscious–like lilacs. Here’s a Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and maybe a Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele). Milkweed contains carenolides, toxic steroids with a bitter taste. Predators that eat insects which have eaten milkweed sicken, throw up and avoid similar insects in the future. Monarchs eat milkweeds as larvae and sequester the poison for their remaining lifespans. Milkweed is poisonous to cattle, pets, and people. The milk or latex is harmful to your eye. How did I not know this? In any case, smell them, enjoy the butterflies, but watch out for milkweeds.